Wildlife value of Water Lily — an unexpected bonus

I planted Water Lily primarily for ornamental reasons. What I didn't anticipate was the wildlife it would attract. cooling visual effect and microclimate benefit in summer seems to be particularly appealing to bees and butterflies during the main growing period.

I grow it in a natural wildlife pond with naturalistic marginal planting which allows me to watch the activity up close. foliage die-back and pond tidying in autumn is the most active period for wildlife visits. dividing overcrowded plants every two or three years in spring is important for keeping the plant healthy enough to flower well and provide that value. root-eating by water lily aphids or china mark moth is the thing to watch — it reduces flowering and therefore wildlife visits if left unchecked. A plant that earns its place twice over.